THE CRANKY OLD MAN
Random thoughts and stuff from a cranky old man. Humor (maybe)and satire, mostly stuff from a confused head.
I intend for this blog to be non-political. If I offer a political statement, rebuttals are permitted, however this blog is not for the unsolicited political opinions of others and as such those comments will be deleted and not published.
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Thursday, October 10, 2013

LASAGNA

LASAGNA

Mrs. C is
half Italian and half Irish.I often
tease her that the Italian half never steps into the kitchen.It is not that she cannot cook; she does not
love to cook.For the last six months I
have been goading her about her lack of culinary passion and have pestered her
into making lasagna.

I love
lasagna.

For the past
six months she has been brushing this request off.Now her Italian half is from her mother, so I
know she must have received some training in the kitchen. What Italian daughter does not know how to
make lasagna?

Last week we
went grocery shopping.We bought several
tons of ground beef, not a typical purchase but I thought nothing of it.We bought several tons of ground veal and
ground sausage.Not a typical purchase,
but I thought nothing of it.We bought
five cans of crushed tomatoes and a can of tomato paste and some ricotta cheese.I thought nothing of it.We bought four packages of lasagna pasta…DING!The bell in my head went off…LASAGNA!!

“Yes, I’m making lasagna, and you don't deserve it.”

“When?”

“I’m making it Saturday for dinner on
Sunday.Jerk! You couldn’t have asked
for baked ziti?Do you have any idea how
much time it takes to make lasagna?”

I do
now.

Saturday
there was crushing, mixing, seasoning, boiling, baking, and browning for four
hours.The kitchen was littered with
pots, pans, Pyrex dishes, and cooking implements that I didn’t know
existed.The house was filled with odors
that mixed together and created a stomach rumbling mouth salivating perfume reminiscent
of Thanksgiving, but with a definite flavor of Italy.

A pot of
sauce simmered on the stove for hours and in it were sausage links and meatballs
absorbing the flavor of the sauce.

“Mmmm, the sauce smells delicious.”

“Gravy!”*

“What?”

“It’s not sauce, its gravy.You want sauce, you get a WASP to make
dinner, you want my Italian half in the kitchen…IT’S GRAVY!”

Dinner on
Sunday was Heaven.Two large squares of lasagna
with some cheesy bread to sop up the gravy, and sausage and meatballs on the side.

I had no
idea what a big job it is to make proper lasagna.At least we have enough left over to last a
week.I am told that like wine it
improves with age.

I wonder if
I should ask for soda bread this St. Paddy’s day.

I love soda
bread.*Tomato Gravy is much more in depth (than tomato sauce), and is also referred to as "Sunday Gravy" as it was generally the normal Sunday dinner for most Italian families. The gravy is made by beginning with a sauté of oil and meat (usually braciole, pork chops or sausages, meatballs, roasts or a combination), followed by your vegetable, tomato mixture, and seasoning. It is referred to as Gravy because of the juices from the meats that are used as your base. A proper gravy will take a minimum of 4-6 hours to properly cook, simmer, and marinate.

Right now I'm thawing and eating as much stuff as I can as fast as I can in order to free up some room in the freezer. K said I had to make room if I wanted her to make her magnificant spaghetti sauce. She makes a lot at one time, and we eat some and freeze the rest for later. :)

Anyway, I wish I lived next door to you guys because I'd be over to sample that Lasagna just as soon as I smelled the sauce - err, gravy - simmering! I love lasagna. Sadly, my kids get only the frozen kind from Costco. I know, I know....but I'm Irish. I'm not any fraction of Italian. (I can cook the heck out of a potato, though!)

Oh wow, that is PROPER lasagna, not lasagne the way I make it!My husband loves it too, and YES it's a big deal when I make it because even my way it takes awhile and uses lots of dishes (which he cleans of course).I suppose Mrs C wouldn't countenance the Greek shortcut lasagne version I sometimes make, which is to tip cream over the top instead of making the bechemel...

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About Me

I am 70 years old, I have 4 children 45,42,40 and 18;and 5 grandchildren 13-6
. Divorced twice, married three times. I worked on Wall Street for 40 years after graduating from Lafayette College in 1968. I have turned to writing as since retirement I needed something to tell people "What the F*** I do." Published one book "Maybe It's Just Me!" available at Amazon, soon to release my second, "I Used To Be Stupid."
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